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Auto-update and WiX

Saturday, 24 March 2007 07:42 by admin

The end of my PhD is in sight and my post-PhD plans include the possibilty of some microISV action. So I need an auto-update plan for a WinForms app. I'm using WiX to deploy the app originally since the app includes fancy things like windows services, not just xcopy.

Basically I need it to grab a WiX generated patch file. Stop the app (after prompting the user) and prompt for admin credentials (if necessary) before starting the patch.

I've been looking around and I can't find any auto-update solutions I can use out of the box. So it looks like I'm going to have to write my own :( or at least adapt one of the current solutions.

Anybody got some better ideas?

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Categories:		Programming
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Comments

March 15. 2008 14:43

Did you make any progress with wix and auto-update?
cheers
ewart

ewart

March 25. 2008 16:41

I had to roll my own solution but WiX v3 is coming along so it's worth checking out the WiX Clickthrough stuff.

Richard Mason

July 22. 2009 00:33

Unfortunaletly, it seems the ClickThrough technology has been delayed till WiX v4. As such, one has to write his own updater on top of the WiX produced MSI installer.

Cheers.

Fayssal El Moufatich

January 6. 2010 02:53

Can you explain the approach you took for your auto-update solution? Is there any useful source code that you're willing to share?

Thanks.

Matt

January 7. 2010 08:38

Unfortunately the code is all weaved pretty tightly into RikPVR so I won't be releasing it. Basic approach was to set up an RSS feed describing the updates. This gets monitored by the app and offers new updates to the user.

The updates themselves are MSI files which get launched off as an upgrade. It supports the MSI patching model as well but so far I haven't used that due to its complexity.

I'd recommend checking out the Paint.NET blog (blog.getpaint.net/.../) - it has a good commentary on install and I seem to remember some talk about the update system sometime as well.

Richard Mason

January 7. 2010 08:39

That previous url is - blog.getpaint.net/.../

Richard Mason

April 10. 2010 18:56

I have been a seo consultant for a long time... almost 3 years but have never met a client who was 100% pleased with my work. I mean it's like they want it yesterday, cheap and on first page of the SERPS... on Google and Bing

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Auto-update and WiX

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